By Amy M. Levy

You must be new here.  It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.  Come, meet your neighbors...

That’s Michelle Bradley.  She moved to Portland from rural Maine after a promotion, and she lives down the block.  She’s had it rough these past few weeks. There was something wrong at her apartment building, problems with the manager I heard.  After she was fired—two days before Christmas no less—her past came back to haunt her.  Things have gone from bad to worse to disastrous.  Why, it’d be enough to drive anyone a little crazy.

Michelle says everything will be wonderful, now there’s a new man in her life, one who is ready to take her away from all her troubles.  Maybe you’ll be the first to meet him.  I know we’re all dying to.

Over there is the woman who lives downstairs from you.  She’s nice, if a bit quiet, and her children are perfect little angels.  I would avoid that boyfriend of hers, though, if I were you.  And for Heaven’s sake, don't mention the noise.

It's too bad you probably won’t get the chance to know Cynthia King. She really is a lovely young woman. I hear she'll be leaving us quite soon. Still, it might be worth knocking on the door of that old Victorian, just to say “hello.”

Welcome to River Street. May you always have a home.

Excerpts of reviews for Welcome To River Street at Amazon.com

Book-lover from New York, New York writes:

The novella moves quickly, going from the recent past to the present and back and forth again, reminiscent in style of "A Time Traveler's Wife" -- but this is not time traveling. Although not in chronological order, you are getting a background that leads up to the present while you are in the present. I refuse to give you the actual plot, because it reveals itself as it goes along. I don't want to spoil the experience of reading it. You may still wonder about what happened after you finish reading the book. I do. I will certainly reread it.

MaineMom writes:

Welcome To River Street by Amy M. Levy is a must-read for fans of intriguing real-as-life fiction. I read the main story in the book in just a few hours, absolutely hooked on the writing style which would not let me stop turning the pages until I was done. The title story back-tracks and fast-forwards a young lady's journey and kept me thoroughly interested and entertained.

Tracy writes:

Amy M. Levy's first book is a treasure. If you're a fan of good writing combined with good storylines, this book is a must. I would recommend it to anyone, especially people who like a little mystery and strangeness in their lives. Ms. Levy brings bewildering beauty to you via her words, and you'll be left to roam the fantastical world of Michelle, Cynthia, and the woman downstairs. I can assure you that this book will be one you'll reread, probably more than once. It's just that good.

Elsewhere on the web...

• Sean M. "In a word: Haunting." 8/26/10
• Rhonda W. "Michelle's story kept my interest all the way to the end. ... I think your ideas were great and it is plain to see you have talent for writing. I would love to see what you do next." 9/06/10